Five years since senior Pompey international outing

Jordan Cross

Jackett’s message to Pompey title winners in the cold

ENDA STEVENS is dreaming of a summer Euro call-up for the Republic of Ireland.

If his hopes become reality he’ll end a five-year spell for Pompey without one of their players having a major international call-up.

Stevens told The News yesterday he’s eyeing being part of Martin O’Neill’s squad which travels to France in June.

Getting the nod would make the left-back the first player to turn out for their country at senior level while in Pompey colours since Erik Huseklepp in 2011.

Jack Whatmough, Jed Wallace and Adam Webster all picked up England honours at age-group level in recent years.

But Huseklepp’s outing against England in May 2012 could arguably rate as the most recent.

That was after a loan spell with Birmingham before he officially left the club that summer. He scored against Wales the previous November while still playing for Pompey.

The previous month controversial defender Tal Ben Haim appeared for Israel in a Euro Championship qualifier against Malta while still at the club.

Stevens will be following in the footsteps of Liam Lawrence if he is to appear for Ireland while a Pompey player. Lawrence was a regular for his country in 2010 and 2011

Hermann Hreidarsson remained an international for Iceland until late in his career. That meant he earned caps against Iceland (March 2011) and Denmark (June 2011) while still turning out under Steve Cotterill.

Aaron Mokoena led his team out as captain at a World Cup, when skipper of host-nation South Africa in 2010. Mokoena was a Pompey player when appearing for Bafana Bafana against Mexico and Uruguay.

David James, Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe were famously all Pompey players when they appeared in the same England side against Andorra in 2008, in a 2-0 win in Spain. Peter Crouch and Sol Campbell were both capped while playing for the club, too.

Those men are among a long and illustrious list of Pompey players who wore the three lions on their chest.

Mark Hateley appeared for England in 1984 and ended a long wait for a player to do so stretching back to the likes of Len Phillips, Jack Froggatt, Peter Harris, Jimmy Dickinson and Reg Flewin in the 40s and 50s.

The list of Pompey players who appeared for England stretches back to 1900. Dan Cunliffe wast he first when he turned out in a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.